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Time travel
Temporal Mechanics is the study of the workings of time and its effects on the space-time continuum, and is particularly relevant when dealing with time travel. As late as the 22nd century, time travel was deemed impossible by the Vulcan Science Directorate. The United Federation of Planets has had some form of time travel ability since at least 2378. It is possible that at least some of the current and future regulations regarding time travel can trace their origins back to this date. However, capability at this point was most likely inaccurate, making any attempt at time travel experimental and dangerous. Temporal mechanics is taught at Starfleet Academy. Julian Bashir took the class, where he learned about predestination paradoxes. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations") Miles O'Brien hated temporal mechanics. (DS9: "Visionary") History As of 2378, at least 40 different instances of some form of time travel has been noted in Federation records. Technologically speaking, it has for the most part remained unclear what the Federations capabilities concerning time travel are. In 2267, after an encounter with a black star, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) is hurled 300 years into the past. Eventually, the Enterprise's science officer Spock devises a method for returning the Enterprise back to its original time period. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday") Though other instances of time travel had been noted, this appears to be the first instance of controlled time travel by the Federation. Sometime in 2268 the Enterprise traveled back in time, using the light-speed breakaway factor, to 1968 on a historical research mission. (TOS: "Assignment: Earth") The existence of such a mission suggest that at least in 2268 the Federation was capable of controlled time travel and they used this ability at the very least for research purposes. In 2286, Captain James T. Kirk and his senior staff take a stolen Klingon Bird-of-Prey back in time to the year 1986 in order to retrieve a pair of then (2286) extinct humpback whales to save Earth from destruction by an alien probe.(Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) In an alternate timeline version of 2404, a Chronexaline inoculated Kathryn Janeway uses a Chrono Deflector to generate a temporal rift and travel twentyfive years into the past.(VOY: "Endgame") In 2371, Captains Jean-Luc Picard and James T. Kirk use the Nexus as a means of controlled time travel, going to just before the destruction of the Veridian star, which Picard intended to save. (Picard arrived at the Nexus from just after the destruction of said star, while Kirk arrived from some 78 years before. (Star Trek: Generations) On at least one occasion, Q took Captain Jean-Luc Picard back in time to the beginning of life on Earth. It is unknown if Q actually willed himself and Picard to the beginning of time, or if it was just an illusion. (TNG: "All Good Things...") Quinn took Voyager back in time to the Big Bang to hide from Q.(VOY: "Death Wish") Temporal Cold War The events of the Temporal Cold War, further complicate the understanding of Federation time travel capabilities. As early as the 26th century, historians and anthropologists used Time-travel pods to travel through time to observe historical events. (TNG: A Matter of Time) Crewman Daniels, an alleged time traveler from the 31st century, showed Jonathan Archer a group of time-traveling anthropologists from 2769 observing the building of the pyramids of Giza. (ENT: "Cold Front") According to Daniels, all time travelers were bound by the observance of a set of strict procedures set forth in the Temporal Accords. Daniels stated that the Temporal Accords were enacted after time travel was developed by all time travel-capable species to prevent catastrophic tampering with the timeline. By 2153, the Sphere Builders, a group previously thought to only possess the ability to examine alternate timelines, sent Xindi-Reptilians back to 21st century Detroit in order to develop a bioweapon to destroy the Human race. (ENT: "Carpenter Street") *''It should be noted that because the Sphere Builders exist in a separate dimension, they may not have had any involvement in the creation of the Temporal Accords.'' Methods *Light-speed breakaway factor *Nexus *Orb of Time *Slingshot effect *Temporal causality loop *Temporal conduit *Time portal *Timeships *Wormholes *Temporal vortex Paradoxes *Dali Paradox *Grandfather paradox *Pogo Paradox *Predestination paradox Examples *List of time travel episodes *Alternate timelines *Temporal Cold War See also *Department of Temporal Investigations * Janeway Factor *Timeline *Temporal anomaly *Temporal Integrity Commission *Temporal Prime Directive de:Temporale Mechanik nl:Tijdmechanica Category:Academic disciplines